1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a test device and a semiconductor integrated circuit device, and more particularly, to a test device and a semiconductor integrated circuit device, which have improved manufacturability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Static Random Access Memory RAM (SRAM) is relatively faster than Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) but has a relatively smaller memory capacity. Accordingly, SRAMs used in computer systems are usually delegated to roles where a high-speed memory is required. For example, SRAMs are commonly used as processor caches in computers and in portable appliances.
Static memory cells may be classified into thin film transistor (TFT) cells, full complementary metal oxide semiconductor (FCMOS) cells, etc. An FCMOS cell may include a plurality of pull-up transistors and pull-down transistors, which may form a latch, and a plurality of pass transistors that may be used to access to the latch.
As the integration density of semiconductor memory elements has increased, the size of memory cells has reduced. Reducing the size of the memory cell may require reducing the size of the metal contacts. The reduction in contact size may make it difficult to accurately pattern the metal contacts. As a result, defective contacts may be produced resulting in increased contact failures. Particularly, in the static memory cells, adjacent shared contacts may be electrically connected to each other. This is referred to as a bridge.
In order to detect the occurrence of a bridge between adjacent shared contacts, nodes connected to the respective adjacent shared contacts are formed and it is then determined whether current flows between the nodes or not.
If current flows between the nodes, it may be determined that a bridge has occurred between the adjacent shared contacts. However, various parameters may cause a current to flow between the adjacent shared contacts. For example, a current may flow between the nodes due to a short-circuit between adjacent active regions, a short-circuit between a contact and a gate line, and/or a short-circuit between nodes. Therefore, in a case where current flows between nodes connected to a pair of shared contacts, a method of accurately determining a cause of the flowing of the current would be desired.